Lightning.. Nature's forked tongue

Recently here in Tas we have been having some extremely hot & humid weather. Temperatures have not been as extreme as the mainland but for Tassie temps up to 35 degrees (celcius) are tough to deal with here. Plus there has been very high humidity. It feels like the tropics have come south.

Last Friday, I watched from the back yard in Tullah an intense lightning storm slowly pass from west to east not that far north of Tullah. There was little rain in this storm cloud, just lots of amazing forked lightning flashing across and down, creating a spectacular light show for those in its view.
BUT.. with lightning in summer, there is the threat of lightning starting fires.

Now it is 5 days later and there is a fire burning near Cradle Mountain from this Lightning storm.
Tullah and the surrounding area has been blanketed in a haze of smoke, some of which I drove through this morning, and was quite thick in places. Visibility on the road would go from clear to near zero in seconds.

We curse these fires, but when nature is in total charge to where and when Lightning happens, and how it controls its Wilderness, how can we argue. It is a natural event, it has been happening this way for centuries, longer than Man can imagine.
Lightning is fascinating, and we must be ever aware of how powerful it is, what it can do, and what its purpose is in nature. To this day, we remain in awe of the amazing energy it gives us.

The Sound of 2 silent footsteps

This morning my Dear Friend Gary departed Australian soil to return back home to London, with a few days stopover in Hong Kong.


Although I only met him here in Tas, his online Journal of his amazing travels around Australia made me feel as if I had known him, and travelled with him all these months since his arrival.


Gary, your stay here in Tullah was enjoyed on such a deep level. Memories like that will stay with me a very very long time. Serenity, Rest, Peace, and Nature all allowed you to slow down, a time of relaxation and calmness.

Your footsteps echo around the House in Tullah, and the Unit in Burnie still, a sound of comfort to this day.

Now those footsteps are silent, not just here in Tas, but now all over Australia. Your walks on our soil have not gone unnoticed. We see your wonderful photos in your online Journal, we know you were there, walking, searching, seeing, and experiencing our Country, our varied and beautiful rugged Southern Land we call Australia.

The silent sounds of your footsteps can still be heard, always present, always there. You may have left our shores now, Gary, but your Soul, and your Soles still remain. Spirit walks in many ways and in many directions here, your footsteps have joined them, to forever walk our Land, to be enjoyed eternally.

To quote you from your last Online Aussie Entry....
"To my very special, spiritual new friend Lindsay in Tullah, Tasmania. You are one in a million and I’m so fortunate to count you among my friends. We’ll be close friends, no matter how far apart we are and I thank you."

I thank you too for your Friendship, a very valued and beautiful person, and it has been an absolute pleasure to have had this opportunity to meet you and allow you to experience a place that is so wonderful, a place called Tasmania.

Bon Voyage Mate!!!





(Pic reproduced with kind permission from Gary Himself )

Distance and Friendships

Sometimes when Friends are not close by, we feel as if distance is the medium in which we feel disconnected from them.
This disconnection would be a great challenge if it were not for the Internet, and Mobile communications today.
My dear Friends I have in my life, are only as far as this computer screen, or a simple sms from their Mobile phone, and sometimes a chat on the Landline Phone.
Its a simple medium, but one that allows our Friendships to continue.

What is a Friend?
it can conjure up many answers this question, but I feel that a True Friend is one that has Integrity and Honesty, and values you as you are.

Also I do believe that a True Friend can be connected to you on a far deeper level, where distance is no barrier, greater than an email, stronger than an SMS message. I feel that when you connect with someone, a deep Universal connection is made, and no matter where each of you are, your connection is only a thought away. It transcends all that we know of today, for wherever we are at any one given time, a deep loving thought will instantly be with your Friends.

To my Friends out there, wherever you are right now, my thoughts and love are with you now.
Distance is no barrier to True Friendships.

What is happiness?

What is Happiness?

Well I can show you in a simple format here..




Get 2 Fluffy Keeshond dogs..















add water..
















and you will get 2 Happy Dogs!!





Look at their faces.. pure Joy!!














This is Happiness, pure & simple!!

Tullah Magic

Tullah.

A small Village tucked away in the Wilderness region of The West Coast of Tasmania.
Its a former Hydro Village and Pioneer Settlement Village.
Surrounded on all sides are Mountains, Lakes, Rivers, Creeks, and Wilderness.

Tullah is a place that I find allows you to find time to rest, a Place where you can wind down, re-connect with Nature, and feel rejuvenated again. Its a rare place that can do this.
Tullah is one such Place.

Recently I had my Friend Gary stay with me in Tullah.
He had been on a whirlwind driving tour of 4 States and 1 Territory in Australia.
He arrived in Burnie where I met up with him, before we drove down to Tullah for a week.

From the moment he arrived in Tullah, tiredness set in big time.
For nearly 3 days Gary rested, slept and let Nature re-energise him after such a hectic Touring schedule the last few months.
I had no agenda for him, no Tourist drives, no rush to be anywhere, just let each day arrive and allow him to rest & recover.
We did do some short drives to the nearby Lakes, Dams & Mountains, where Mother Nature allowed us to see a wonderful rare sight in the form of 2 Platypus in Lake Murchison. No Zoo scene here, just these 2 wonderful creatures in their natural habitat. How excited was I.. I have never seen Platypus this way before.
Another wildlife moment at Lake MacIntosh also arose, in the form of a small snake sunning itself on the dam wall. Now I nearly freaked Gary out with my shrieks.. as I am no fan of snakes, big or small.
I did allow myself to get close enough to photograph the small snake, but in the time it takes to click the shutter ..I was gone!!! Gary was quite amuse at my sudden loss of sanity for a brief moment!!

For the remainder of Gary's visit, he rested, was fed home cooked meals, rested, watched TV, rested, and allowed his mind, Body & Soul to recover from a period of Fast Paced Living.

Tullah's magic was working!
Gary left feeling, and looking, brighter and re-energised.
You have taken a small part of Tullah with you, no matter where you are you will have that in you to remind you of where you were.


Gary, May you reap the benefits of your "Harvest" as told by the Universe.

Tullah, So far from anywhere, so close to the Soul.

Loss

Today I sit in my Unit feeling in a down mood.

Today at work I received a message from my Mother to let me know that my Uncle back in South Australia had passed away.



My Aunt, whom I am close to, made a very hard decision a few years ago to have my Uncle admitted to a Nursing Home due to his deteriorating mental state. No longer capable of living at Home, he was a Resident of a very Caring Aged Care Facility in Victor Harbor.
Although he was cared for exceptionally well, the feelings of Guilt my Aunt endured each day was profound. That feeling that she had failed in his care, after all, way back when 2 people were married, they said they would look after each other in sickness and in health til death do us part.
Being admitted to a Nursing Home just didn't fit into those marriage vows!

As each day, month and year passed, my Uncle's mental state rapidly decreased. A few days ago, I received a call to say he was now Palliative. The end of his Life was fast approaching, and today I found out it had ended yesterday afternoon.
Although I am surrounded by people "passing on" in my Work all the time, I find that when a Family member passes on, I feel very lost and sad.
I try to think why do I feel so low and sad when this happens. I see death all the time. I can be with a Resident at work and watch them slip away into eternity.
Yet a Family Member fills me with grief and I feel so confused and lost.
I think it is because they are MY FAMILY! Not someone elses Family. This is my Relative, my Family member whom I have know all my Life, a part of my Identity and my 'tribe!'
When they die, their association with my Life moves into another chapter. Now no longer living, they have become Deceased family, moved to the memories of my Past. We can only speak of them in Past Tense now, no longer in Present Tense.
Also it has made me realise that my Parents and Family are now older. They are approaching Old Age, and one day in the future, they too will pass on. My Uncle is the first of my Parent Generation to pass on in My Immediate Family. Time moves on, and death will eventually come to us all. Makes you feel very humble and vulnerable.

Unfortunately, I will not be in Victor Harbor to see my Uncle laid to rest, nor be there for my Aunt and Cousins. My Parents will be there, driving up from country SA, to represent us all.

Its an end to another era, one I can only remember from my memories now. My thoughts of my Uncle take me back to my Childhood, a life that feels so long ago.

Eternal Freedom now Uncle Alv!!

Free to roam the Outback!!!